Fall: Chronicles & Stories Of Wayfare
by CheshireEnigma
Summary: The vampire-sorcerer Dakkon Nailo left behind his few remaining traveling companions and wandered the planes. His destructive tendencies have earned him the ire of many, some of whom have funds to hire bounty hunters to deal with the problem.


Fall: Chronicles & Stories Of Wayfare  
  
By CheshireEnigma (cheshireengima@hotmail.com)  
  
Premise: The vampire-sorcerer Dakkon Nailo left behind his few remaining traveling companions and wandered the planes. His destructive tendencies have earned him the ire of many, some of whom have the funds to hire bounty hunters powerful enough to deal with such a problem.  
  
Rating: PG-13 (Violence, Language)  
  
Disclamer: Dakkon Nailo is based on a character in a Dungeons and Dragons campaign. All appropriate ideas and characters (whatever they are) belong to Wizards Of The Coasts and are used without permission.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Well, well, well, if it isn't the famous Dakkon Nailo. Destroyer of the planes of Mendi, ravager of the Zernai Mages Guild that had withstood the assaults of even gods. Blight upon the face of the multiverse and a disappointment to your peers in the Negative Energy Plane. A vampire without a master and a loose cannon with impressive destructive powers," the floating figure called.  
  
Dakkon squinted in the bright sun at the speaker but couldn't make out any details of the figure.  
  
"You seem to know me," he growled, "who are you?"  
  
"Hellbender is my name," the figure said, giving a bow and slowly dropped until he was a foot above the ground.  
  
"Hellbender? You must be one of the Wayfare Bounty Hunters. Who's annoyed with me now," the vampire sneered petulantly.  
  
Hellbender's eyebrows shot up in amusement and his mouth cracked in a wry grin.  
  
"Why, everyone, my undead friend. The list begins with the refugees of the plane of Mityra and ends with an old lady from Wayfare. Apparently you killed her son or something of that sort," he said, waving an armored hand dismissively. "Regardless it's a large bounty and one which I'll be very happy to collect."  
  
Dakkon studied his opponent from beneath the large wide-brimmed black hat that donned his head. The human was wearing an impressive suit of half- plate. Small purple runes danced across the surface and pulsed with power. On one arm was an irregular bulbous protrusion and on the other was a small cube. However, out of all the finery, one thing stuck out and drew Dakkon's gaze: a small purple gem set in the collar of the armour.  
  
"Tell me, psion, what else have you heard of me?" Dakkon asked casually.  
  
Hellbender's eyebrows arched, impressed at the statement.  
  
"Full of surprises as always. I've always made an effort to keep the true source of my powers hidden. Did you know that even some of my fellow bounty hunters don't know? But I have to ask, how did you figure it out?"  
  
"I've have extensive dealings with your kind. Most of who are like you. Arrogant. Flagrant with the small power they wield."  
  
Hellbender grimaced, but still managed to keep his smirk.  
  
"And this would be the razor tongue of Dakkon. But enough of this prattle. Let's get down to business."  
  
With a wave of his arm, the ground around Dakkon's feet shifted and twisted until it solidified into a mirrored surface, reflecting and intensifying the sun on Dakkon's vulnerable body. Leaping out of the circle, the sorcerer waved his hand and five magical bolts materialized in mid air, streaking towards the armored man.  
  
Slapping the bulb on his left arm, an opaque green material emerged, formed into a small shield, and then solidified. Using the barrier, the bounty hunter deflected the missiles from their flight. In answer to the attack, the air started to ripple around Hellbender's forehead, and then shot out like a ballista, expanding as it traveled towards Dakkon.  
  
Planting his feet, Dakkon brought up one hand from his cloak and made a series of gestures. As the gestures continued, a gossamer disk appeared in front of him and grew until it became as large as a tower shield. The attack continued forward then rebounded off the barrier, returning to its sender.  
  
Hellbender made a lazy wave of his hand and the attack dissipated around him.  
  
"I am truly honored to fight an opponent such as you. Few have ever survived that attack, much less returned it at me. Unfortunately, you mage- types always forget: Psions are superior."  
  
With another wave of his hand, a small ball of darkness formed a foot in front of the human and suddenly exploded outward. In reflex, Dakkon threw up his arms to brace for the impact. However, it was an impact that never came. The expanding wall stopped almost short of Dakkon but washed over his arms. When it disappeared, the vampire's arms were lying on the ground, sizzling.  
  
Glancing down impassively, Dakkon looked as his former appendages, surprised at the odd attack.  
  
"What was that?" Dakkon asked calmly, still staring at the now disintegrating limbs.  
  
"A little something I picked up from the Vampire Hunters whose artificial plane you destroyed. It cuts off your tie to the Negative Energy Plane. Very effective in taking down vampire bounties, don't you think?"  
  
"I suppose. Now what?" Dakkon asked.  
  
"Now for the next step."  
  
Without moving, Hellbender suddenly appeared besides Dakkon and thrust the cube on his gauntlet flush with the vampire's chest. With a small flash, a net sprung out of the device and wrapped around Dakkon's body, restraining him.  
  
"Oh, I'm experienced at catching vampires, by they way. Don't try to use any of your powers. They won't work while in that," Hellbender said with a victorious grin.  
  
Grabbing Dakkon's head with one hand, he lifted the elf into the air and placed his other hand in the middle of the netting. With a spoken command, the net collapsed inward until all that was left was the vampire's decapitated head in Hellbender's hand.  
  
"That's quite a device," Dakkon said, unphased by the loss of his body.  
  
"Why thank you. We will have to do this again," another grin gracing the face of the bounty hunter.  
  
"A quick question. How many vampire sorcerers do you come across?"  
  
Hellbender stopped at the question and glanced upwards, pondering the question.  
  
"Actually, I'd have to say you are the first. Congratulations on that, my friend."  
  
"Congratulations indeed," Dakkon said quietly.  
  
With a quiet word uttered from his desiccated lips, Hellbender was suddenly knocked off of his feet as a red-scaled tail clubbed his armored torso. The psion reacted quickly and managed to resume his flight before he hit the ground. Whipping around, he found an adult red dragon staring down at him.  
  
"Ssilly pssion. Never underesstimate a sorcerer. Otherwisse you might make fatal misstakess," Dakkon hissed through his draconic mouth.  
  
Hellbender sneered in anger, then vanished as a muscled tail slammed down where he had been. Reappearing twenty feet away, he unleashed a wave of white fire that washed over the dragon. When it dissipated, Dakkon wasn't there.  
  
Before he could glance around, the ground around him exploded in flames. Vanishing again, Hellbender appeared above the treetops, hoping to gain vantage of his attacker. Hearing a whistling noise from behind, he teleported again, aiming for an even higher position. Before he had finished moving, Hellbender could feel something wrong with the power, as if some other force had control over it. When he emerged, he heard something slide through the front of his armor and out the back.  
  
Gasping in pain, he looked up to see the grinning visage of Dakkon.  
  
"Isn't that a shame? You seem to have a sword in your gut. Let me get that out of there. You mortals feel pain when stuff like that is in your precious flesh," Dakkon said in a mockingly considerate tone.  
  
Giving a slight twist of the sword, Dakkon removed it and caught Hellbender by the collar before the Psion could fall.  
  
"Kill me now and get it over with," rasped the bounty hunter through bloodstained lips.  
  
"And ruin all of my fun? No. You're much more useful to me undead."  
  
Hellbender's eyes widened in fear as he realized his fate. Without further delay, Dakkon bent his fanged mouth toward the bounty hunter's neck . . .  
  
  
  
A cloaked figure sat in a corner of the Wayfare Tavern enjoying a blood-red wine. Though no one could tell it, he was impatiently awaiting the news of a disaster. Finally, the information he was waiting for encountered his sensitive ears.  
  
"Did you hear what happened at the Wayfare Hunters Guild?"  
  
"No, what happened?"  
  
"Hellbender went insane. He destroyed the guild and most of the members inside. Then he disappeared."  
  
"Shame. He was one of the better ones."  
  
Settling back in his seat, he allowed a rare grin to cross his face. 


End file.
